Saturday, January 20, 2018

Just wanted to pop in and share some highlights from my trip to Austin last week as well as some healthy travel tips you might not have tried yet. I think most of us are familiar with the common ones, like pack nutritious snacks or wear your sneakers, but I rounded up a few that I recently started doing that maybe you haven’t heard. If you think they sound like ideas that would fit into your travel life, definitely give them a try and let me know what you think. And, of course, if you have “nontraditional” ones to share, please do so! I’m sure a lot of us are looking for ways to make our travel adventures healthier, more efficient, and less stressful. But, first, let me tell you about some highlights from my time in Austin!

The hotel – I loved the Omni Downtown Austin Hotel where I stayed. I booked it last-minute through HotelTonight, who again I had the opportunity to partner with, especially since they’re ALL about last-minute bookings. HotelTonight is primarily used for hotel stays booked within a week or less, but there are several cities where there’s a 100-day advance booking window, so you can plan in advance. What I especially loved about the app was that I was able to select hotels by location, so I picked the Omni, which was less than 1/4 mile from the conference venue. It was a great hotel with awesome amenities, including a nice gym with all sorts of brand new equipment and a complimentary happy hour and breakfast. I was so pleased (and even impressed) with my experience, especially since my plans were so last-minute.

If you haven’t used the HotelTonight app yet, definitely check it out. Download the app here. And if you use my referral code on your first booking through the app, you can save $25! Just use promo code TIHAUPERT.

Jo’s Coffee – This coffee shop was perfect. It was adorable inside, featured a tasty menu, delicious coffee, and the staff was super duper friendly. It was a great recommendation by one of my Designed to Fit Nutrition clients!

Coffee date with Lauren – Lauren, my DTFN nutrition client, lives in Austin and recommended Jo’s. We met up and had coffee, and it was so nice to finally meet her in person. I chat with my clients a few times a week over WhatsApp, so I get to know them (and their dogs, kids, hobbies) pretty well, so seeing Lauren was like meeting up with an old friend.

Dan Martell’s Product Expansion Intensive – The conference was awesome – everything I expected and more! I attended with Katie, one of our coaches, so now we have so much valuable information to bring back to our team. I actually sent Kerrie a message that simply said: “1 million ideas” because Katie and I left with so many things we want to do in the coming months.

Hanging out with Katie – I was so great spending some quality time with her! She’s a long-time CNC reader (nearly 10 years) turned DTFN coach turned workout buddy and friend. She’s an all-around great person, and I’m so glad we had the opportunity to visit Austin together.

CrossFit Central Downtown – What a great gym! It’s seriously one of the best CrossFits I’ve ever been to – nice facility, quality programming and coaching, and friendly community. There was even a gym dog (always a bonus), a running store, and COFFEE SHOP inside. I know, right?! If I lived in Austin, I would never leave. Like ever.

The original Whole Foods – It was amazing. It was huge and wonderful and had every awesome product ever. My college roommate works for Whole Foods HQ, so I met up with her for lunch one day. It was so nice catching up and hearing all about her cool job! (She does product development for the 365 line!)

Voodoo Doughnut – I also got to visit Voodoo Doughnut, which, honestly, was a mixed experience. The donuts were delicious, but the guy working there was kind of rude. I dunno… it was kind of early in the morning, so maybe he didn’t have his coffee yet?

Even still, I enjoyed the donuts that I tried. In Austin, I had a vegan frosted donut with sprinkles and then brought home a couple of donuts for Mal and Quinn, which they kindly shared with me on Friday morning. I brought them a regular sprinkle donut (Quinn’s favorite too) and a chocolate frosted with crushed Oreo and peanut butter drizzled on top. Holy yum!

Healthy Travel Tips You Might Not Have Tried

I was thinking about these little things that I often do during my travel and just wanted to share!

TSA Precheck – Guys, this is LIFE-CHANGING. Let me repeat: LIFE. CHANGING. Even if you don’t travel a ton, it’s worth getting. And the whole process is a piece of cake. Local folks, I went to the Brockton location, so I didn’t even need to go into Boston, and I was in and out in maybe 10 minutes. I had the option of making an appointment online, so I showed up at my scheduled time, flashed my license, answered a few questions, and that was it. A couple of weeks later, I was approved. (FYI: TSA says it can take up to 90 days for approval, but both mine and Mal’s happened within weeks.)

With the extra time you save on waiting in security lines…

Treat yourself to a chair massage – Sitting on a plane for hours always messes up my back, so a short massage prior to boarding is totally worth it!

Travel with a backpack – I use this huge one for most of my travels. It can fit up to a week’s worth of clothes if I pack well. Carrying it is like a mini-workout and it frees up my hands, so I can help Quinn, hold an iced coffee, use my phone, etc. I kind of look like a dork, but it makes travel so much easier!

Pack a combo water bottle + protein shaker – I love this thing so much. It’s the best of both worlds. No need to bring a water bottle and a protein shaker when you travel.

Pack a baseball (or lacrosse or tennis ball) – It’s so great for rolling out tired feet, calves, shoulders, and more after a long day of travel and/or sightseeing. Plus, it doesn’t take up much space in your luggage.